Washington, D.C. -- U.S. Representative Charles Bass applauded today's House passage of H.R. 1000, The Aviation Investment and Reform Act for the 21st Century (AIR-21). Bass had urged his colleagues to support the $56 billion reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Airport Improvement Program (AIP) during floor debate yesterday.

"AIR-21 will benefit all sectors of the airport and airway system," said Bass. "This bill would bolster safety at our nation's airports and in the sky, encourage competition among airlines, and use the investment taxpayers have made in the Aviation Trust Fund for its intended purpose, which is to strengthen our nation's aviation system."

The House of Representatives voted 316-110 in favor of the bill. Bass, who sits on the House Transportation Aviation Subcommittee, said AIR-21 will provide airports with the necessary funding to keep pace with the dramatic increase in air travelers.

"Manchester Airport is the fastest growing airport in the country," said Bass. "Last year alone, 1.94 million people flew out of Manchester, which represented a 70% increase over 1997.

Unfortunately, the Federal government has not kept up with the demands of a nation that relies on aviation. Flight delays are increasing as we exceed airport and runway capacity. The United States is home to 19 of the world's 20 busiest airports, yet we do not have the world's most advanced air traffic control systems."

AIR-21 would more than double Airport Improvement Program (AIP) funding to $5 billion and increase air traffic control facilities and equipment program funding by 50% to $3 billion. The bill not only reauthorizes the capital and operating programs of the FAA, but also takes the Airport and Airway Trust Fund off budget, guaranteeing greater public investment in the nation's aviation infrastructure.

"For too long, we've neglected our transportation needs and allowed the surpluses in the transportation trust funds to accrue in order to mask the size of the budget deficit," added Bass. "AIR-21 would help instill honesty in the budget process and provide the necessary funding that airports need to keep pace with the dramatic increase in air travelers by ensuring that the airline ticket taxes we pay each time that we fly will be used to improve our airports and aviation infrastructure."

Bass received high praise from The Director of the University of New Hampshire's Recycling Materials Center, Dr. Taylor Eighmy, for authoring a provision of the aviation bill instructing the FAA to conduct a $1.5 million study on the use of recycled material in pavement used for runways, taxiways, and aprons.

"We are delighted about the potential opportunity to assist the FAA in exploring the use of recycled materials in the construction of airport facilities," said Eighmy. "Once again, Congressman Bass has supported a recycling initiative that will be beneficial to the nation's infrastructure. This legislation is a logical follow-on to the legislation that he secured last year in the highway bill that established the Center."

Bass also successfully amended AIR-21 in the Aviation Subcommittee to include a provision requiring emergency locator transmitters (ELTs) in airplanes.

"An airplane disappeared near Lebanon, New Hampshire, on December 24, 1996, and was never found despite search and rescue operations by state and local authorities," said Bass, who is an instrument-rated pilot. "It is believed that the existence of an ELT on this plane would have substantially increased the likelihood of finding the crash site and helping any survivors. Current FAA rules exempt many aircraft and flights from the ELT requirement, and the absence of ELTs on many noncommercial planes has increased the costs of public and private search and rescue operations for downed aircraft."